Our Belgian neo-pro came close to his maiden top ten in the pro ranks.
Jonathan Vervenne rode to seventh on the second stage of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, a 17km individual time trial, with some undulating, tricky and technical roads, held between Carlet and Alginet.
It should have been one of the most important days for the general classification, but due to the strong gusts of wind, it ended up not counting in the fight for the yellow jersey. Because of the strong winds, the riders had to compete on the road bikes and the organisers decided the GC times wouldn’t count.
The reigning U23 European ITT Champion, Vervenne was among the early starters and had a solid rhythm the entire stage, averaging almost 49km/h – which saw him finish in 21:09, just half a second outside the top ten. As the times weren’t taken into account, Dries Van Gestel remained Soudal Quick-Step’s best placed rider in the overall standings of the Spanish race.
Photo credit: ©Szymon Gruchalski / Getty Images
